Specimen processing systems, pipette assemblies and methods for preparing reagents

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods that enable automated processing of specimens carried on microscope slides are described herein. Aspects of the technology are directed, for example, to automated slide processing apparatuses capable of dispensing liquids onto microscope slides. Additional aspects of the technology are directed to methods of replacing a reagent pipette in automated slide processing apparatuses. The apparatus can include, for example, a reagent pipette assembly including a reagent pipette moveable between at least one loading position for obtaining reagent from a reagent container at a filling station and at least one dispense position. The apparatus can also include a retainer for releasably securing the reagent pipette. In some embodiments, the reagent pipette assembly includes a locking mechanism for transitioning the retainer from an open configuration for receiving a pipette and a closed configuration for securing a pipette, in e.g., an aligned position within the retainer.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a continuation of International PatentApplication No. PCT/EP2015/064520 filed Jun. 26, 2015, which claimspriority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/019,058, filed Jun. 30, 2014. Each of the above patent applicationsis incorporated herein by reference as if set forth in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to systems for preparing specimens for analysis.In particular, the disclosure relates to specimen processing systems,pipette assemblies, and methods of processing specimens.

BACKGROUND

A wide variety of techniques have been developed to prepare and analyzebiological specimens. Example techniques include microscopy, microarrayanalyses (e.g., protein and nucleic acid microarray analyses), and massspectrometric methods. Specimens are prepared for analysis by applyingone or more liquids to the specimens. If a specimen is treated withmultiple liquids, both the application and the subsequent removal ofeach of the liquids can be important for producing samples suitable foranalysis.

Microscope slides bearing biological specimens, e.g., tissue sections orcells, are often treated with one or more dyes or reagents to add colorand contrast to otherwise transparent or invisible cells or cellcomponents. Specimens can be prepared for analysis by manually applyingdyes or other reagents to specimen-bearing slides. This labor-intensiveprocess often results in inconsistent processing due to individualtechniques among laboratory technicians.

“Dip and dunk” automated machines immerse specimens in liquids by atechnique similar to manual immersing techniques. These automatedmachines can process specimens in batches by submerging racks carryingmicroscope slides in open baths. Unfortunately, carryover of liquidsbetween containers leads to contamination and degradation of theprocessing liquids. Worse, cells sloughing off the specimen carryingslides can cause contamination of other slides in the liquid baths.These types of processes also utilize excessive volumes of liquids,resulting in relatively high processing costs when the reagents must bechanged to reduce the possibility of specimen cross-contamination. Opencontainers are also prone to evaporative losses and reagent oxidativedegradation that may significantly alter the concentration andeffectiveness of the reagents, resulting in inconsistent processing. Itmay be difficult to process samples without producing significantvolumes of waste that may require special handling and disposal.

Immunohistochemical and in situ hybridization staining processes areoften used to prepare tissue specimens. The rate of immunohistochemicaland in situ hybridization staining of sectioned fixed tissue on amicroscope slide is limited by the speed at which molecules (e.g.,conjugating biomolecules) can diffuse into the fixed tissue from anaqueous solution placed in direct contact with the tissue section.Tissue is often “fixed” immediately after excision by placing it in a10% solution of formaldehyde, which preserves the tissue fromautocatalytic destruction by cross-linking much of the protein viamethylene bridges. This cross-linked tissue may present many additionalbarriers to diffusion, including the lipid bilayer membranes thatenclose individual cells and organelles. Conjugate biomolecules(antibody or DNA probe molecules) can be relatively large, ranging insize from a few kilodaltons to several hundred kilodaltons, whichconstrains them to diffuse slowly into solid tissue with typical timesfor sufficient diffusion being in the range of several minutes to a fewhours. Typical incubation conditions are 30 minutes at 37 degreescentigrade. The stain rate is often driven by a concentration gradientso the stain rate can be increased by increasing the concentration ofthe conjugate in the reagent to compensate for slow diffusion.Unfortunately, conjugates are often very expensive, so increasing theirconcentration is wasteful and often not economically viable.Additionally, the excessive amount of conjugate that is driven into thetissue, when high concentrations are used, is entrapped in the tissue,is difficult to rinse out, and causes high levels of non-specificbackground staining. In order to reduce the noise due to non-specificbackground staining and increase the signal of specific staining, lowconcentrations of conjugate with long incubation times are often used toallow the conjugate to bind only to the specific sites.

Histology staining instruments often use relatively large volumes ofreagent (100 μL) in a puddle of typically 300 μL of buffer. Someconventional instruments mix the reagent by alternating tangential airjets onto an overlaying oil layer that rotates and counter-rotates whencontacted by the alternating air jets, thereby imparting motion into theunderlying aqueous puddle. This mixing is slow and not particularlyvigorous, and it can create significant evaporation losses, especiallyat the elevated temperatures that are often necessary. Large volumes ofrinse liquid are used to physically displace the large puddles ofreagents, which are covered with oil. This rinsing procedure produceslarge volumes of waste liquid, which may be hazardous waste.

Overview of Technology

Some embodiments of the technology are directed to an automated slideprocessing apparatus for dispensing liquids onto one or more microscopeslides. The automated slide processing apparatus can comprise, in oneembodiment, a carousel that includes a plurality of reservoir wells anda reagent pipette assembly that includes a reagent pipette movablebetween at least one loading position for obtaining reagent from one ofthe reservoir wells and at least one dispense position for dispensingreagent onto one of the microscope slides. In some arrangements, theautomated slide processing apparatus can also include a wash pipetteassembly configured to wash the plurality of reservoir wells and a drivemechanism coupled to the carousel and configured to rotate the carouselto position the reservoir wells relative to the reagent pipette assemblyand/or the wash pipette assembly.

At least some of the embodiments of the automated slide processingapparatus can include a filling station including a plurality ofcontainers holding reagents and a plurality of slide processingstations. The reagent pipette assembly, for example, can be movablethrough an internal chamber of the automated slide processing apparatusto transport reagents obtained at the filling station to the carouseland to dispense reagent mixtures from the carousel onto one of themicroscope slides. In another embodiment, the reagent pipette assemblyis movable between a filling position for obtaining reagent from thecontainers at the filling station and a dispensing position for fillingone or more of the reservoir wells with reagent from the fillingstation. In some embodiments, the automated slide processing apparatushas a mixing mode in which the reagent pipette assembly mixes reagentswithin one or more of the reservoir wells and dispenses the reagentmixtures onto the microscope slides.

The drive mechanism, for example, can be configured to sequentiallyrotate the reservoir wells underneath a wash pipette of the wash pipetteassembly and/or the reagent pipette of the reagent pipette assembly. Inone embodiment, the reagent pipette assembly has a reagent load statefor obtaining reagent from the reservoir wells while the wash pipetteassembly, for example, delivers wash liquid to another one of thereagent wells. In some embodiments, the wash pipette assembly includes apipette movable into each of the reservoir wells. In a furtherembodiment, the wash pipette assembly is fluidically coupled to a vacuumsource, and the wash pipette assembly draws liquid from one of thereservoir wells when the vacuum source draws a vacuum. In someembodiments, the reagent pipette assembly accesses the reservoir well atthe same location, and the carousel can rotate the reservoir wells tothe location accessible by the reagent pipette assembly. In otherembodiments, the carousel rotates to position reagent wells such thatthe reagent pipette assembly accesses reservoir wells at differentlocations.

In some embodiments, the carrousel has dedicated waste pathways todirect liquid into a drain without risk of contamination to otheradjacent wells. In at least some embodiments of the technology, thecarousel includes spillways configured to allow fluid (e.g., cleaningliquid, reagent, etc.) to flow from the reservoirs wells to preventcross-contamination (e.g., flow of fluid between adjacent reservoirwells). The spillways can have the same radial length to inhibit orprevent recirculation of the waste stream into an adjacent well. In oneembodiment, the carousel can include a plurality of overflow partitionsthat are individually positioned circumferentially between adjacentreservoir wells. In one example, the overflow partitions extend upwardlyand radially inward from the reservoir wells. The carousel, in furtherembodiments, can include a drain and the spillways that allow anoverflow of reagent to flow from the reservoir wells toward the drain.

In one embodiment, the automated slide processing apparatus includes acontroller communicatively coupled to the drive mechanism and configuredto command the drive mechanism such that the drive mechanismsequentially moves each of the reservoir wells to a washing position forwashing by the wash pipette assembly. The controller, in someembodiments, stores and executes instructions for commanding the reagentpipette to sequentially fill the reservoir wells with reagent fromreagent containers. In another embodiment, the automated slideprocessing apparatus includes a controller having mixing instructionsthat are executable to command the reagent pipette assembly such thatthe reagent pipette assembly delivers at least two reagents to one ormore of the reservoir wells to produce a reagent mixture. In onearrangement of such an embodiment, the controller has mixed reagentdispense instructions that are executable to command the reagent pipetteassembly to dispense reagent mixtures onto specimens.

Further embodiments of the technology are directed to methods ofsequentially delivering reagents to a plurality of reservoir wells of acarousel to produce reagent mixtures. The carousel can be rotatable tosequentially position the reservoir wells at one or more wash positions.The method can also include at least partially filling a reagent pipettewith the reagent mixture from one of the reservoir wells while at leastone of the reservoir wells is located at the wash position(s). Thereagent pipette assembly can partially aspirate multiple reagents fromeither one of the reservoir wells (pre-mixed) or multiple wells for asingle or multiple shot dispense onto one or more slides. After at leastpartially filling the reagent pipette with reagent, the method canfurther include robotically moving the reagent pipette toward themicroscope slide and dispensing the reagent onto the microscope slide.In yet further embodiments, the method can include rotating the carouselsuch that one of the reservoir wells containing reagent (e.g., excess orresidual reagent) is located at the wash position, and washing thereservoir well at the wash position to remove the reagent.

In other arrangements, the automated slide processing apparatus caninclude, in one embodiment, a reagent pipette assembly having a reagentpipette moveable between at least one loading position for obtainingreagent from a reagent container at a filling station and at least onedispense position. The reagent pipette assembly can also include aretainer for releasably securing the reagent pipette. In someembodiments, the reagent pipette assembly includes a locking mechanismfor transitioning the retainer from an open configuration for receivinga pipette to a closed configuration for securing a pipette in, e.g., analigned position within the retainer.

Some of the embodiments of the present technology are directed tomethods of replacing a pipette in an automated slide processingapparatus. For example, a method can include releasing a lockingmechanism on a carriage assembly of a reagent pipette assembly torelease a first pipette from a pipette retainer. The method can alsoinclude removing the first pipette from a shaft of the pipette retainerand sliding a second pipette into the shaft of the pipette retainer. Themethod can further include engaging the locking mechanism on thecarriage assembly to retain the second pipette in the shaft of thepipette retainer. In one embodiment, the locking mechanism can include acentral lever, and wherein releasing the locking mechanism includeslifting the central lever, and wherein engaging the locking mechanismincludes lowering the central lever.

At least some embodiments of the technology are directed to biologicalspecimen processing systems capable of processing specimens carried onslides. The specimen processing systems can sequentially deliver slidesand opposables to specimen processing stations. The specimen processingstations can use opposables to manipulate and direct a series of liquidsto the specimens. The liquids can be manipulated over and/or across theslide surfaces in conjunction with capillary action while the specimenprocessing stations control the processing temperatures for histologystaining, immunohistochemical staining, in situ hybridization staining,or other specimen processing protocols. In some embodiments, theopposables are surfaces or opposable elements capable of manipulatingone or more substances on a slide. Manipulating a substance in the formof a fluid can include spreading the fluid, displacing a thin film offluid, or otherwise altering a bolus of fluid, a band of fluid, or athin film.

At least some embodiments of the technology are directed to a systemthat contacts a biological specimen with a liquid by moving an opposablein contact with the liquid. A distance separating a non-planar (e.g.,curved), wetted surface of the opposable and a slide carrying thespecimen is sufficient to form a liquid meniscus layer between thewetted surface and the slide. The meniscus layer contacts at least aportion of the biological specimen and is moved across the slide usingcapillary and other manipulative action.

The meniscus layer, in some embodiments, can be a relatively thin fluidfilm, a band of fluid, or the like. The opposable is movable todifferent positions relative to the slide and can accommodate differentvolumes of liquid forming the meniscus layer. The capillary action caninclude, without limitation, movement of the meniscus layer due to thephenomenon of the liquid spontaneously creeping through the gap betweenthe curved, wetted opposable surface and the slide due to adhesiveforces, cohesive forces, and/or surface tension. The opposable canmanipulate (e.g., agitate, displace, etc.) the liquid to process thespecimen using relatively small volumes of a liquid to help manage wasteand provide consistent processing. Evaporative losses, if any, can bemanaged to maintain a desired volume of liquid, reagent concentration,or the like. Relatively low volumes of liquids can be used to processthe specimens for a reduced liquid waste.

In some embodiments, a system includes one or more automated slideholders that can heat individual slides via conduction to producetemperature profiles across slides that compensate for heat losses. Theheat losses can be caused by evaporation of liquid in a gap between aslide and an opposable disposed proximate to the slide. In oneembodiment, the slide holder has a slide support surface and produces anon-uniform temperature profile along the slide support surfacecontacting the slide such that a specimen-bearing surface of the slidehas a substantially uniform temperature profile when the slide islocated on the slide support surface. In some embodiments, a non-uniformtemperature profile is produced across the slide support surface while asubstantially uniform temperature profile is produced along the mountingsurface of the slide. Another feature of at least some embodiments ofthe present technology is that the slide holder can be configured toproduce a low temperature heating zone and a high temperature heatingzone surrounding the low temperature heating zone. The high temperaturezone can compensate for relative high evaporative heat losses to keepthe specimen at a generally uniform temperature.

The slide processing apparatus, in some embodiments, includes adispenser positioned to deliver a supplemental liquid between theopposable element and the slide while a liquid is held in the gap therebetween. Additionally, the slide processing apparatus can include acontroller communicatively coupled to the dispenser and programmed tocommand the dispenser such that the dispenser delivers the supplementalliquid to keep a volume of liquid between the opposable element and theslide within an equilibrium volume range. In some embodiments, thecontroller is programmed to deliver supplemental liquid at apredetermined rate. In one embodiment, the predetermined rate is equalto or less than about 110 μL per minute at a temperature of about 95° C.for bulk liquids. In some embodiments, the predetermined rate is equalto or less than about 7 μL per minute at a temperature of about 37° C.for non-bulk reagents. The rate can be selected based on the specimenstaining protocol being processed.

The slide processing apparatus, in some embodiments, further comprises aplurality of additional staining modules and a controller configured toindependently control each of the staining modules. The staining modulescan use disposable or reusable opposable elements to spread and movereagents across the specimens.

The controller, in some embodiments, includes one or more memories and aprogrammable processor. The memory stores a first sequence of programinstructions and a second sequence of program instructions. Theprogrammable processor is configured to execute the first sequence ofprogram instructions in order to process a specimen on the slide with afirst liquid and configured to execute the second sequence of programinstructions to process the specimen with a second liquid that isdifferent from the first liquid. In some embodiments, the programmableprocessor is configured to execute the first sequence of programinstructions in order to heat the slide to a first temperature using theslide holder platen, and the controller is configured to execute thesecond sequence of program instructions in order to heat the slide to asecond temperature using the slide platen, the second temperature isdifferent from the first temperature.

The controller, in some embodiments, is configured to execute a firstsequence of program instructions to command the replenishment device todeliver a first liquid to the slide at a first rate. The controller isfurther configured to execute a second sequence of program instructionsto command the replenishment device to deliver a second liquid to theslide at a second rate that is different from the first rate. In certainembodiments, the first rate corresponds to an evaporation rate of thefirst liquid, and the second rate corresponds to an evaporation rate ofthe second liquid. The controller can help moderate evaporative losses.

In some embodiments, a method of processing a specimen carried by aslide comprises heating a liquid on a slide held by a slide holder. Theopposable element is rolled to contact the liquid on the slide and tomove the liquid across a biological specimen on the slide. Areplenishing rate is determined based on an evaporation rate of theliquid. A supplemental liquid is delivered based on the replenishingrate to substantially compensate for evaporative losses of the liquid.The opposable element, which contacts the liquid comprising thesupplemental liquid, is rolled so as to repeatedly contact the specimenwith the liquid.

The volume of the supplemental liquid delivered onto the slide can beequal to or greater than a decrease in the volume of the liquid viaevaporation. Additionally or alternatively, the supplemental liquid canbe delivered onto the slide by delivering the supplemental liquid tokeep a volume of the liquid on the slide equal to or greater than aminimum equilibrium volume and at or below a maximum equilibrium volume.Additionally or alternatively, the supplemental liquid can be deliveredonto the slide while the opposable element rolls along the slide.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments are described with referenceto the following drawings. The same reference numerals refer to likeparts or acts throughout the various views, unless otherwise specified.

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a specimen processing system inaccordance with an embodiment of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 2 is an exploded isometric view of the specimen processing systemof FIG. 1. Portions of a protective housing are shown removed.

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of a pipette apparatus with a mixingstation in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a carousel in accordance with anembodiment of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the carousel of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the carousel taken along line 6-6 ofFIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a detailed view of a portion of the carousel of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a bottom perspective view of the carousel in accordance withan embodiment of the disclosed technology.

FIGS. 9A-9D illustrate stages of operation of the pipette apparatus.

FIGS. 9E-9Y are views of various components of the pipette apparatus inaccordance with various embodiments of the present technology.

FIG. 10 is a detailed view of a portion of the specimen processingsystem of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a specimen processing system 100 (“system 100”) including aprotective housing 120, a slide carrier parking station 124 (“parkingstation 124”), an opposable carrier loading station 130 (“loadingstation 130”), and reagent parking stations 140, 142. The system 100 canautomatically process specimen-bearing slides using opposables loadedvia the loading station 130 to perform, for example, specimenconditioning (e.g., cell conditioning, washing, deparaffinizing, etc.),antigen retrieval, staining (e.g., H&E staining), or other types ofprotocols (e.g., immunohistochemistry protocols, in situ hybridizationprotocols, etc.) for preparing specimens for visual inspection,fluorescent visualization, microscopy, microanalyses, mass spectrometricmethods, imaging (e.g., digital imaging), or other analytical or imagingmethods. The system 100 can simultaneously process 20 specimen-bearingslides using the same or different protocols to provide processingflexibility and a relatively high throughput. The specimens can remainon the slides throughout processing (e.g., baking through staining) forconvenient handling and preventing cross-contamination.

The protective housing 120 inhibits, limits, or substantially preventscontaminants from entering an internal processing environment. Theprotective housing 120 can include a cover 146 that can be opened toaccess internal components, including, without limitation, roboticcomponents (e.g., robotic arms), transport devices (e.g., conveyors,actuators, etc.), fluidic components, specimen processing stations,slide platens, mixing components (e.g., mixing wells, reagent trays,etc.), slide carrier handling components, opposable carrier handlingcomponents, dryers, pressurization devices (e.g., pumps, vacuum devices,etc.), or the like.

The parking station 124 includes a row of bays. A slide carrier in theform of a basket is positioned in a left bay 148. Each bay can beconfigured to receive other types of slide carriers, such as racks,baskets, trays, or other types of carriers suitable for carrying slidesbefore, during, or after specimen processing. The illustrated parkingstation 124 includes 12 bays separated by dividers. The number of bays,positions of bays, bay orientations, and bay configurations can beselected based on the types of slide carriers to be used.

The loading station 130 includes a receiving opening 150 through which auser can load an opposable carrier. The opposable carrier can be amagazine that holds a stack of opposable elements. In other embodiments,the opposable carriers can be cartridges, or other portable structuresfor carrying opposables.

The parking stations 140, 142 each includes a row of bays. Each bay canhold one or more containers, including bulk reagent containers, bottles,bag-in-box reagent containers, or the like. The parking station 142 canhold bulk liquid containers that provide liquids used in larger volumes,such as wash solutions. Empty containers in the parking stations 140,142 can be conveniently replaced with full containers.

Fluid movement into, out of, and within specimen processing stations canbe controlled by a fluidics module that includes, for example, pumps,valves, and filters. A pneumatics module can supply pressurized air andgenerate vacuums to perform various slide processing operations and tomove fluids throughout the system 100. Waste can be delivered to a wastedrawer 143. FIG. 2 shows the waste drawer 143 holding waste containers149A, 149B. The pneumatics module can deliver waste from the specimenprocessing stations to the containers 149A, 149B, which can be emptiedperiodically.

A controller 144 can command system components and can generallyinclude, without limitation, one or more computers, central processingunits, processing devices, microprocessors, digital signal processors(DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), readers, andthe like. To store information, the controller 144 can include, withoutlimitation, one or more storage elements, such as volatile memory,non-volatile memory, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM),or the like. The stored information can include heating programs,optimization programs, tissue preparation programs, calibrationprograms, indexing programs, mixing programs, or other executableprograms. Optimization programs can be executed to optimize performance(e.g., enhance heating, reduce excess reagent consumption, increaseproductivity, enhance processing consistency, or the like). Theprocessing may be optimized by determining, for example, an optimumschedule to (1) increase processing speeds, (2) reduce the time ofheating or cooling cycles, (3) increase throughput (e.g., increase thenumber of slides processed in a certain length of time), and/or (4)reduce reagent waste. In some embodiments, the controller 144 determinesloading sequences for loading the specimen processing stations to reduceprocessing times and to determine loading sequences of the dispensers.This saves time because fluids can be dispensed onto the nextspecimen-bearing slide as soon as a specimen-bearing slide is removedfrom the specimen processing station. In some embodiments, thecontroller 144 determines sequences for mixing and dispensing reagentusing the mixing station 165.

FIG. 2 is an isometric exploded view of the specimen processing system100 including a processing station 163, a slide ejector assembly 200, anopposable dispenser 380, and a specimen return mechanism 157. Theprocessing station 163, the slide ejector assembly 200, and theopposable dispenser 380 are positioned at the left side of an internalenvironment 121. The specimen return mechanism 157 is positioned at theright side of the internal environment 121. A mixing station 165 ispositioned generally below the specimen return mechanism 157 and caninclude reservoirs (e.g., reservoir wells). Reagents can be mixed in themixing station 165. In other embodiments, the mixing station 165 canhold containers (e.g., vials, beakers, etc.) in which substances arestored and/or mixed. A row 152 of 20 specimen processing stations canindependently process biological specimens.

In operation, a user can load slide carriers carrying specimen-bearingslides into the empty bays of the parking station 124 of FIG. 1 and canload opposable carriers carrying opposables into the loading station130. The slide carriers can be transferred to a reader (e.g., a labelreader, a barcode reader, etc.), not shown that reads labels, if any, onthe slides. The slide carriers can be delivered to the processingstation 163 which can include, without limitation, a dryer (e.g., adehydration unit), a heating unit (e.g., a baking module), or othercomponent capable of removing water from the slides, heating specimens(e.g., heating specimens to adhere the specimens to the slides), or thelike. In some embodiments, the processing station 163 blows hot air overslides to dry the slides, and if the specimens contain paraffin, the hotair can soften the paraffin to promote adhesion of the specimens to theslides. An air system can partially recirculate air to control thehumidity in the processing station 163. Slide carriers can be picked upand transported from the processing station 163 to another module (e.g.,a specimen processing station, a label reader, etc.) or returned to oneof the bays of the parking station 124.

The specimen return mechanism 157 can load specimen-bearing slides intoa slide carrier. The loaded slide carriers can be transported to theparking station 124. If the slide carriers are compatible with anautomated coverslipper, a user can transport the slide carriers from theparking station 124 to an automated coverslipper for coverslipping.Alternatively, the slides can be manually coverslipped. The coverslippedslides can be analyzed using optical equipment, e.g., a microscope orother optical devices.

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of a pipette apparatus 172 in accordancewith an embodiment of the disclosed technology. The pipette apparatus172 can serve as a staging area to provide improved staincharacteristics, significantly increase processing capacity, orotherwise enhance processing. The pipette apparatus 172 can prepare andhold volumes of reagent (e.g., individual reagents and/or reagentmixtures). Reactive reagents can be mixed immediately before dispensingto enhance stain consistency and quality, especially for reagents thatreact immediately upon mixing. Because reagents can be staged wellbefore they are needed, the pipette apparatus 172 can increase slideprocessing capabilities and is well suited for use with high-volumeautomated slide processing systems. Additionally, the pipette apparatus172 can occupy a relative small space and provide mix and washfunctionality independent of slide processing.

Generally, the pipette apparatus 172 can include a mixing station 165, areagent pipette assembly 175, and a wash pipette assembly 176. Themixing station 165 can include a carousel 177 and a drive mechanism 184for rotating the carousel 177 about an axis of rotation 181. Thecarousel 177 can include a circular array of reservoir wells 180 (oneidentified) configured to hold volumes of reagent. The drive mechanism184 can rotate (indicated by arrows 186) the carousel 177 to positionthe reservoir wells 180 relative to the reagent pipette assembly 175and/or wash pipette assembly 176. The reagent pipette assembly 175 canpartially or completely fill the reservoir wells 180 with fresh reagentfrom a filling station 209 (e.g., a reagent bay) and can also dispensereagent from the reservoir wells 180 onto microscope slides. The reagentpipette assembly 175 can also wash and/or rinse the reservoir wells orperform other operations. The wash pipette assembly 176 can wash thereservoir wells 180 by, for example, rinsing the reservoir wells 180with wash liquid and vacuuming liquid (e.g., wash liquid, reagent, etc.)out of the reservoir wells 180. Fresh reagents can be mixed in thewashed reservoir wells 180.

FIG. 4 is a front top isometric view of the carousel 177 in accordancewith an embodiment of the disclosed technology. FIG. 5 is a top planview of the carousel 177. Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5 together, thecarousel 177 can include reservoir wells 180 (one identified), a ramp182, and a drain 183. The reservoir wells 180 can be angularly spaced(evenly or unevenly) about the drain 183, and each reservoir well 180can hold a sufficient volume of liquid for one or multiple dispensesteps in a staining protocol. In some embodiments, each reservoir well180 has a holding capacity in a range of about 200 μL to about 450 μL.In one embodiment, each reservoir well 180 has a holding capacity ofabout 350 μL. In other embodiments, different reservoir wells 180 canhave different holding capacities to prepare different volumes ofreagent mixtures. The holding capacities of the reservoir wells 180 canbe selected based on the desired volume of reagent mixtures to bedispensed. A group of reservoir wells 180 (e.g., four reservoir wells)can correspond to a particular slide and/or slide processing station toprevent cross-contamination. In a staining protocol utilizing a setnumber of reagent mixtures, reservoir wells (e.g., adjacent reservoirwells 180) can be used to prepare and hold the reagent mixtures. In someembodiments, the carousel 177 can include multiple arrays of wellspositioned at different locations relative to the drain 183. Forexample, multiple circular arrays of reservoir wells can be positionedat different radii from the center drain radii of the center drain 183.

The reservoir wells 180 can be in generally vertical orientations (e.g.,longitudinal axes of the reservoir wells can be oriented vertically) toaccess to the bottoms of the reservoir wells 180 usingvertically-oriented pipettes. The reservoir wells 180 may be circular(FIG. 5), oval, elliptical, combinations thereof, or other shapeswithout sharp corners for convenient rinsing/cleaning. The illustratedcarousel 177 has multiple reservoir wells 180 (e.g., forty reservoirwells 180) to allow rapid processing of a relatively large number ofslides (e.g., up to about one hundred slides or more), but the carousel177 can have a greater or a lesser number of reservoir wells 180 toincrease or decrease the number of slides serviced by the carousel 177.The geometry (e.g., circular, elliptical, etc.), pattern (e.g., circulararray, elliptical array, etc.), number, and orientations of thereservoir wells 180 can be selected based on the number of slides,staining protocols, and operation of the reagent pipette assembly 175and/or wash pipette assembly 176.

The ramp 182 can extend between the reservoir wells 180 and the drain183. Overflow liquid (e.g., reagent, wash liquid, or mixtures thereof)escaping the reservoir wells 180 can flow along an upper surface 185 ofthe ramp 182 and through the drain 183. In some embodiments, the uppersurface 185 slopes downwardly toward the drain 183 and has a shape(e.g., a generally frusto-conical shape) for promoting radially inwardflow. The upper surface 185 can help keep the flows from two or morereservoir wells 180 separate to inhibit or limit mixing of the flows toavoid or mitigate unintended chemical reactions. In some embodiments,the ramp 182 has flow channels, grooves, or other features that helpoverflow liquid flow toward the drain 183.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the carousel 177 can include spillways 187 (oneidentified) configured to allow overflow liquid to automatically drainfrom the reservoir wells 180. The spillways 187 can preventcross-contamination by preventing well to well flooding. During a washcycle, the reservoir wells 180 can be flooded with wash liquid (e.g.,water, deionized water, washing solution, etc.) without affectingadjacent reservoir wells 180. In some embodiments, the spillway 187includes overflow partitions 189 (two identified in FIGS. 4 and 5) andan overflow wall 190. Each partition 189 can be positioned betweenadjacent reservoir wells 180.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the carousel 177 taken along line6-6 of FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a detailed view of a portion of the carousel177. Referring now to FIG. 7, the partition 189 can prevent splatteringliquid from reaching nearby reservoir wells and can include an outerportion 192 and an inner portion 194. In some embodiments, the partition189 can be positioned between the center of an adjacent reservoir well180 and other reservoir wells (e.g., ⅕, ¼, of ⅓ of the total number ofreservoir wells 180). During a wash cycle, wash liquid may tend to sprayand/or splatter, and the partition 189 can block such spray/splatter,thereby preventing cross-contamination between wells. The dimensions andconfigurations of the partitions 189 can be selected to keep thereservoir wells fluidically isolated from one another.

The outer portion 192 can be positioned directly between two reservoirwells and can extend upwardly past a spillway entrance in the form of arim 196 of the wall 190. In some embodiments, the outer portion 192extends upwardly past the rim 196 a sufficient distance to prevent wellto well flooding. For example, the height H of the outer portion 192 canbe in a range of about 3 mm to about 7 mm. Other heights can be used, ifneeded or desired. The inner portion 194 can be a generallyvertically-oriented wall that extends inward (e.g., toward the center ofthe carousel 177). A length 199 of the inner portion 194 can begenerally equal to the height H to prevent directing liquid (e.g., rinseliquid or reagent) toward an unintended well at the risk of crosscontamination. The length L of the partition 189 can be equal to orgreater than the diameter D of the reservoir well 180. For example, aratio of the length L to the diameter D can be equal to or greater than1.25, 1.5, 2, or 2.5.

The reservoir well 180 has a generally smooth sidewall 193 (e.g., acylindrical sidewall or other shaped sidewall without sharp corners) anda bottom 195 (FIG. 6) that define a chamber capable of holding a desireda volume, for example, 250 μL, 350 μL, or 450 μL. FIG. 7 shows a fluidlevel line 198 (illustrated in phantom line) of a desired volume ofreagent. When excess liquid is delivered to the reservoir well 180, theliquid can rise above the entrance 196 of the spillway 180 and causeflooding. As shown in FIG. 7, the liquid 201 (illustrated in phantomline) can flow over the wall 190 and along the upper surface 185.Referring now to FIG. 6, the liquid 201 can exit the carousel 177 viathe drain 183, which can be sufficiently large to accommodate fluiddraining from multiple reservoir wells. Flooding can intentionally occurto rinse the reservoir wells and may unintentionally occur, for example,if excess reagent is dispensed into one of the reservoir wells.

FIG. 7 shows stops 313 (one identified) that limit the maximum depth ofplunge of pipettes to prevent damage to the carousel 177 that could becaused by, for example, an over-insertion of the pipette. The stops 313can be circumferentially spaced apart from each other and can extendupwardly a sufficient distance 315 to prevent the wash pipette 213and/or reagent pipette 204 from contacting the reservoir well bottom195. For example, a head assembly carrying the pipette can strike thestop 313 before the pipette carried by the head assembly damages thecarousel 177. Other types of stops can be used to position or limitmovement of the pipettes.

FIG. 8 is a bottom perspective view of the carousel 177 that includes amounting bayonet 205 and an alignment feature 207. The mounting bayonet205 can be coupled to a drive shaft of a drive mechanism (e.g., drivemechanism 184 of FIG. 4) and can include one or more positioners 218. Inother embodiments, the outer surface of the carousel 177 can be used torotate the carousel 177. For example, a drive wheel can engage the outersurface of the carousel 177 such that rotation of the drive wheel causesrotation of the carousel 177. The positioners 218 can be flanges, ribs,or other features matable with the drive shaft of the drive mechanism.The alignment feature 207 can be used to visually, mechanically,electro-mechanically, and/or opto-mechanically align the carousel 177.In some embodiments, the alignment feature 207 is a notch or a cutoutthat receives an alignment protrusion of the drive mechanism. In otherembodiments, the alignment feature 207 can be a protrusion or othervisually (including optically) identifiable feature for convenientidentification and orientation of the carousel 177. In some embodiments,the alignment feature 207 can be used to clock the carousel 177 suchthat individual reservoir well 180 positions are known by the controlsystem (e.g., controller 144). A top edge or surface 231 can be locatedat a critical distance from the bottom of a skirt 235 in which itresides, such that if a sensor (e.g., an optical sensor) does notidentify the alignment feature 207, then the user will be immediatelynotified that the carousel 177 is improperly installed. The carouselsdescribed herein can be conveniently removed from drive mechanism 184 towash it or replace it, and the alignment feature 207 can be used toreinstall the carousel 177 on the drive mechanism 164. One side of thealignment feature 207 can be detected and used to notify the operator ifthe carousel 177 is not properly installed.

A one-piece carousel can have a unitary construction and can be formedby a molding process, machining process, or other suitable process. Forexample, the carousel 177 can be monolithically formed by an injectionmolding process. In multi-piece embodiments, the carousel 177 can have acarousel main body and separate spillways and reservoir wells that areinstalled in the carousel main body. The configuration of the carousel177 can be selected based on the desired functionality of the carousel177.

FIGS. 9A-9D show operation of the pipette apparatus 172, and FIGS. 9E-9Yare isometric views illustrating individual components of the pipetteapparatus 172 in accordance with various embodiments of the presenttechnology. Generally, the reagent pipette assembly 175 can sequentiallydeliver fresh reagents to the reservoir wells 180 to produce reagentmixtures. The reagent pipette assembly 175 can deliver such reagentmixtures onto slides at slide processing stations. The carousel 177 canbe rotated to sequentially position the reservoir wells 180 at a washposition for washing by the wash pipette assembly 176. In someembodiments, the reagent pipette assembly 175 can mix reagents while thewash pipette assembly 176 washes reservoir wells 180 to reduce overallprocessing times. In other embodiments, reagent mixing and reservoirwell washing are performed at different times. A pipette cleaner 251 canwash (e.g., using wash liquid), vacuum, blow off, or otherwise clean thepipette 204 between each trip to the filling station 209 to preventcross contamination of the reagents. The pipette cleaner 251 can alsoclean the pipette 213 between wash operations. Operation of the reagentpipette assembly 175, wash pipette assembly 176, and mixing station 165are detailed below.

FIGS. 9A-9C show one method of utilizing the reagent pipette assembly175, and FIGS. 9E-9Y illustrate components of the pipette apparatus 172in accordance with embodiments of the present technology. The reagentpipette assembly 175 can have different types of pipettes, valves, andsensors, and in some embodiments, can be similar or identical to thepipette dispensers 160, 162 depicted in FIG. 2. In various embodiments,the reagent pipette assembly 175 can include a positioning mechanismwith one or more rail/carriage assemblies, motors (e.g., drive motors,stepper motors, etc.), drive elements (e.g., chains, belts, etc.), orother features for providing motion. The reagent pipette assembly 175can obtain fresh reagents, stage reagents, and dispense reagents ontomicroscope slides. In some embodiments, the reagent pipette assembly 175can move the reagent pipette 204 to, for example, a filling position(see FIG. 9A) at the filling station 209, an unload/load position (FIG.9B) for either dispensing reagent into one of the reservoir wells 180 orloading the pipette 204 with reagent from one of the reservoir wells,and a dispense position (FIG. 9C) for dispensing reagent onto a slide ata slide processing system.

Referring to FIG. 9E, the reagent pipette assembly 175 also includes acarriage assembly 178 with retainer 179 (e.g., a collet, etc.) forreleasably securing the reagent pipette 204 in position duringoperation. To replace a reagent pipette 204, the retainer 179 can bemoved to an open configuration for releasing a first pipette 204 andreceiving a second (e.g., replacement) pipette 204. The retainer 179 canbe engaged by a user or with an automatic apparatus to close and retainthe second pipette 204 for use in the system 100 (FIGS. 1 and 2). Thepipette 204, when replaced, can be inserted down the z-axis of theretainer 179 and can be aligned in the z-direction and about the z-axisof rotation (e.g., with securing screws 191, a spring mechanism, etc.)before securing/sealing the pipette 204 to a fluid tube 173 with aconnection port 197 for permitting fluid flow (e.g., wash solution,vacuum air flow, etc.; see FIG. 9F). In one embodiment, the connectionport 197 can be a hollow threaded screw that secures the fluid tube 173to the pipette 204 within the retainer 179 portion of the carriageassembly 178.

In some embodiments, the pipette 204 can be received in an orientedposition within the retainer 179 to facilitate reproducible alignment ofthe pipette 204 during insertion and/or replacement. For example, thepipette 204 can be configured with an alignment feature in the form of aflat surface 174 along a portion of the pipette 204 (FIG. 9G) that isconfigured to engage with a rotation inhibitor in the form of anorienting pin 188 and spring mechanism 202 (FIGS. 9H and 9I) within theretainer 179 to position and/or align the pipette 204 within theretainer 179 and with respect to the carriage assembly 175. In otherembodiments, the pipette 204 can have alignment features the form ofgrooves, slots, or other structural features configured to engagerotation inhibitors (e.g., pins, rods, protrusions, springs, etc.) ofthe retainer 179 to substantially prevent or limit movement of thepipette 204 relative to the retainer 179.

After the pipette 204 is placed in the correct position and orientation,the retainer 179 can be transitioned from the open configuration to aclosed configuration to secure the pipette 204 in position using alocking mechanism 335. Referring back to FIG. 9F, the locking mechanism335 can be a hollow threaded screw that connects the fluid tube 173 tothe pipette 204 within the retainer 179. As illustrated in FIGS. 9J-9K,and in another embodiment, the retainer 179 can be configured to bemanually closed about the pipette 204 using a sliding clamp 171configured to transition the retainer 179 between the open configuration(FIG. 9J) and a closed configuration (FIG. 9K). In one embodiment, thesliding clamp 171 can be a spring-loaded sliding keyed sheet that locksthe pipette 204 in a secured position with respect to the retainer 179and the reagent pipette assembly 175. FIGS. 9L-9M illustrate a lockingmechanism 335 for the pipette 204 in the retainer 179 in accordance withanother embodiment of the present technology. For example, the carriageassembly 178 includes a rotating plate 301 with a catch 302 and alocking plate 303 configured to engage the catch 302 when pressed in thedirection of arrow 304 (FIG. 9M). To release the pipette from the lockedposition, the rotating plate 301 can be pressed in the direction ofarrow 305 (FIG. 9M) to release the locking plate 303 from the catch 302.FIGS. 9N-9O illustrate a locking mechanism 335 for the pipette 204 inthe retainer 179 in accordance with a further embodiment of the presenttechnology. As illustrated in FIG. 9O, the carriage assembly 178 caninclude a bayonet mount 306 to secure the pipette within the retainer179. For example, the pins 307 on the pipette 204 can mate with theslots 308 on the carriage assembly 178 which connection is held in placewith a spring 309 (shown in FIG. 9N).

FIGS. 9P and 9Q are isometric and cross-sectional views of components ofthe carriage assembly 178. As illustrated in FIGS. 9P and 9Q, theretainer 179 can be configured to be manually closed about the pipette204 with the fluid port 173 secured to the pipette 204 using a clamp 311configured to transition the retainer 179 between the open configuration(FIG. 9P) and a closed configuration (FIG. 9Q). In one embodiment, theclamp 311 can be a lever-positioned clamp in which a lever 312 istransitioned from a raised position (FIG. 9P) to a lowered position(FIG. 9Q) to tighten the retainer 179 about the pipette 204.

Referring now to FIG. 9A, the reagent pipette assembly 175 in a reagentload state of operation can insert the pipette 204 into one of thecontainers 211 at the filling station 209 and can draw a desired volumeof fresh reagent 227. In some embodiments, the reagent pipette assembly175 can draw a vacuum provided by a pressurization device 221. Thepressurization device 221 can include one or more vacuum sources, pumps,or other devices capable of providing a desired vacuum level or positivepressure. The containers 211 can be, without limitation, vials, bottles,jars, or other containers suitable for holding substances used toprocess specimens. The illustrated filling station 209 has threecontainers 211, but a greater or lesser number of containers can beused, and the filling station 209 can be part of a parking station, suchas the parking stations 140, 142 of FIG. 1. For example, the containers211 can be installed in the bays of the parking stations 140, 142 ofFIG. 1 and can be accessed by the reagent pipette assembly 175, which ismovable through the internal environment 121 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 9R is an isometric view of a pipette 204 for use in the reagentpipette assembly 175 shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 9S is a close-up view ofa distal end 206 of the pipette 204 of FIG. 9R in accordance with anembodiment of the present technology. Referring to FIGS. 9R and 9Stogether, the pipette 204 can be generally straight having a proximalend 208 (FIG. 9R) and the distal end 206, wherein the proximal end 208is configured to couple with the body 175 a of the reagent pipetteassembly 175 (FIG. 3). As shown in FIG. 9R and in some embodiments, theproximal end 208 is flanged for engaging the body 175 a (e.g., a portionof the carriage assembly 178) of the reagent pipette assembly 175 (FIG.3). The distal end 206 is configured to be inserted into the containers211 at the filling station 209 as well as the reservoir wells 180 of thecarousel 177 (FIGS. 9A and 9B). The pipette 204 includes a lumen 203through which a desired volume of reagent may be loaded or dispensed(e.g., via the pressurization device 221 capable of providing a desiredvacuum level or positive pressure; FIG. 9A). As illustrated in FIG. 9S,the distal tip 206 a of the distal end 206 can be circular and have ablunt or even tip. In another embodiment shown in FIG. 9T, the pipette204 can have a sharpened or narrowed distal end 206 that includes thecircular and/or blunt distal tip 206 a. In other embodiments, the distaltip 206 a can be non-circular, or non-straight (e.g., curved). In afurther embodiment shown in FIG. 9U, the distal tip 206 a may be beveledor sharp.

Various embodiments of pipettes 204 in accordance with the presenttechnology allow for precise volumetric measuring of reagent and/orother fluids by the reagent pipette assembly 175, without introducingcross-contamination between individual reagent containers 211 and/orreservoir wells 180. Further aspects of the pipette 204 can diminishreagent evaporation from the reagent containers 211 as well as limit orprevent the pipette from accumulating or clogging with debris orparticles within the lumen 203 of the pipette 204. In one embodiment,the pipette 204 may be sized to have a 200 μL capacity. In otherembodiments, the pipette 204 may be sized to have a capacity in a rangeof about 150 μL to about 450 μL.

In various embodiments, the reagent containers 211 can include a cap 219(shown in FIGS. 9V-9Y) for inhibiting or limiting evaporation of reagent227 stored within the containers 211 in the filling station 209 andduring reagent removal by pipette 204. The cap 219 can be configured toengage and/or otherwise seal the upper opening 223 of the individualcontainers 211 (FIG. 9W). In one embodiment, the cap 219 is a threadedcap for mating with corresponding threads (not shown) on the upperopening 223 of the container 211. In other embodiments, the cap 219 canbe a pressure-fit cap. FIG. 9V illustrates a cap 219 with an integratedaccess valve portion 225 configured to receive the distal end 206 of thepipette 204 (shown in FIG. 9J) in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent technology. In one embodiment, the access valve portion 225 isintegral with the cap 219. In other embodiments, the access valveportion 225 can be coupled to the cap 219. For example, the access valveportion 225 can be coupled to the cap 219 with a ring 229 that isclamped, welded (e.g., sonic welded), or otherwise coupled with adhesiveor other mechanical means known to those of ordinary skill in the art(FIG. 9V).

As shown in FIGS. 9V-9Y, the access valve portion 225 can be dome-shapedor otherwise rounded at a point of entry for the distal end 206 of thepipette (FIG. 9Y). The access valve portion 225 can be formed from avariety of materials suitable in the art for sealing and preventingevaporation of the reagent 227 and which may be impervious againstimmunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization reagents contained in thereagent containers 211. For example, the cap 219 and/or the access valveportion 225 may contain rubber material, such as ethylene propylenediene monomer (EPDM) rubber. In some embodiments, the cap 219 and/or theaccess valve portion 225 can have a durometer measurement of about 70,or in other embodiments a durometer measurement of about 55 to about 80.An opening 234 in the access valve portion 225 can provide access to thecontents of the containers 211 by the pipette 204 (FIGS. 9X and 9Y). Inone embodiment, the opening 234 can be a slit configured to squeegeeancillary liquids clinging to an outside surface of the distal end 206of the pipette 204 during pipette removal to prevent reagent loss (FIG.9X).

As illustrated in FIG. 9X, the cap 219 can include a protective seal 236(e.g., a polyethylene film) that initially covers the cap 219, theaccess valve portion 225 and/or the opening 234 prior to piercing by thepipette 204. The protective seal 236 can prevent leaks or evaporation ofreagent material during transport, storage etc. of the containers 211prior to use in the system 100 (FIG. 1).

FIG. 9B shows the reagent pipette assembly 175 after the reagent pipette204 has been filled with reagent. The pipette 204 is positioned todeliver the reagent into the reservoir well 180 identified in FIG. 9B.The pressurization device 221 can provide positive pressure to dispensethe reagent. The reagent pipette assembly 175 can obtain additionalreagent from the filling station 209 and dispense it into the samereservoir well 180 to produce a reagent mixture.

Referring to FIGS. 9B and 9C, to dispense a reagent mixture held by thecarousel 177, the reagent pipette 204 can be inserted into the reagentwell 180 and filled with a desired volume of the reagent mixture. FIG.9C shows the loaded reagent pipette 204 dispensing the reagent mixtureonto a microscope slide 156 at a processing station 245. The reagentpipette assembly 175 can repeatedly obtain reagent from the mixingstation 165 and dispense the reagent onto the slide 156 or other slidesat other processing stations.

FIGS. 9C and 9D illustrate stages of a washing process performed by thewash pipette assembly 176. Generally, the reservoir wells 180 can bewashed by, for example, dispensing wash liquid so as to flood thereservoir wells 180 and removing (e.g., sucking out) wash liquid, aswell as any residual reagent, left in the reservoir wells 180. The washpipette assembly 176 can include a vacuum source 237 and apressurization device 239 connected to a wash head assembly 241 by lines247, 249, respectively. The drive assembly 184 can rotate the carousel177 to position the reservoir well 180 at a wash position under the washpipette 233.

FIG. 9D shows the wash pipette 233 after it has been lowered into one ofthe reservoir wells. Wash liquid can be delivered through the washpipette 213 to dilute reagent, if any, in the reservoir well, flush thereservoir well, and/or otherwise rinse or wash the reservoir well. Insome embodiments, the vacuum source 237 can be activated and the washpipette 213 can suck out most or substantially all of the reagent in thereservoir well 180. The reservoir well 180 can then be flooded with washliquid that flows (indicated by arrows) in a controlled manner to thedrain 183. The flooding process can remove most or substantially all ofthe volume of residual reagent within the reservoir well 180. Afterflushing the reservoir well 180, the vacuum source 237 can be activatedagain to clear the reservoir well. In other embodiments, prior toaspirating, the reservoir well can be flooded with wash liquid thatflows (indicated by arrows) in a controlled manner to the drain 183. Theflooding process can remove most or substantially all of the volume ofreagent within the reservoir well. After flushing the reservoir well,the vacuum source 237 can be activated and the wash pipette 213 can suckout most or substantially all of the liquid (e.g., wash liquid, amixture of wash liquid and reagent, etc.) left in the reservoir well180. The pipette 213 can then be raised, and the drive mechanism 184 canrotate the carousel 177 to position another reservoir well at the washposition (e.g., underneath the wash pipette 213). The pipette cleaner251 (FIG. 9A) can periodically clean the outside of pipette 213. Inother embodiments, two or more pipettes can be used in the wash process.For example, one wash pipette can be used to dispense wash liquid andanother wash pipette can suck residual liquid from the reservoir wells.In yet other embodiments, the reagent pipette assembly 175 can be usedto perform wash cycles by rinsing out the reservoir wells 180.

The controller 144 of FIG. 9D can be configured to command the drivemechanism 184 to sequentially move each of the reservoir wells 180 tothe washing position for washing by the wash pipette assembly 176. Insome embodiments, the controller 144 stores instructions in memory 147(illustrated in phantom line) and executes the instructions to commandthe pipette apparatus 172 to sequentially fill the reservoir wells 180with reagent from the containers 211. Additionally or alternatively,memory 147 can store mixing instructions (e.g., a mixing program) thatare executable by the controller 144 to command the reagent pipetteassembly 176 to deliver at least two reagents (e.g., two reagents, threereagents, etc.) to one of the reservoir wells. The mixing instructionscan be selected based on information obtained from the slide to beprocessed. The controller 144 can be communicatively coupled to any orall of the components of the pipette apparatus 172.

The system 100 of FIGS. 1 and 2 can include one or more pipetteapparatuses 172 discussed in connection with FIGS. 3-9D. The system 100can have mixing stations 165 at opposite sides of the internalenvironment 121 (FIG. 2). The wash pipette assemblies can be stationarywith vertically movable wash pipettes to avoid collisions between thewash pipettes and the reagent pipettes, which can be moved about themixing stations. The mixing stations 165 can be serviced by a singlereagent pipette assembly and a single wash pipette assembly. In otherembodiments, each mixing station 165 is served by respective reagentpipette assemblies and wash pipette assemblies. The number of mixingstations, positions of the mixing stations, and sequence of operation ofthe reagent pipette assembly and wash pipette assembly can be selectedbased on the processes to be performed.

FIG. 10 is a detailed view of a section of the row 152. An opposableelement 154 (“opposable 154”) can move substance along a slide 156 tocontact a specimen on the slide 156. In some embodiments, including theillustrated embodiment, 20 slides can be processed independently using aseries of substances.

If a specimen is a biological sample embedded in paraffin, the samplecan be deparaffinized using appropriate deparaffinizing fluid(s). Afterremoving the deparaffinizing fluid(s), any number of substances can besuccessively applied to the specimen using the opposable 154. Fluids canalso be applied for pretreatment (e.g., protein-crosslinking, exposingnucleic acids, etc.), denaturation, hybridization, washing (e.g.,stringency washing), detection (e.g., linking a visual or markermolecule to a probe), amplifying (e.g., amplifying proteins, genes,etc.), counterstaining, or the like. In various embodiments, thesubstances include, without limitation, stains (e.g., hematoxylinsolutions, eosin solutions, or the like), wetting agents, probes,antibodies (e.g., monoclonal antibodies, polyclonal antibodies, etc.),antigen recovering fluids (e.g., aqueous- or non-aqueous-based antigenretrieval solutions, antigen recovering buffers, etc.), solvents (e.g.,alcohol, limonene, or the like), or the like. Stains include, withoutlimitation, dyes, hematoxylin stains, eosin stains, conjugates ofantibodies or nucleic acids with detectable labels such as haptens,enzymes or fluorescent moieties, or other types of substances forimparting color and/or for enhancing contrast. In some embodiments, theapplied substance is a liquid reagent applied via dispensers, such aspipette dispensers 160, 162 depicted in FIG. 2 or reagent pipetteassembly 175 depicted in FIGS. 3-9D.

A biological specimen can include one or more biological samples.Biological samples can be a tissue sample or samples (e.g., anycollection of cells) removed from a subject. The tissue sample can be acollection of interconnected cells that perform a similar functionwithin an organism. A biological sample can also be any solid or fluidsample obtained from, excreted by, or secreted by any living organism,including, without limitation, single-celled organisms, such asbacteria, yeast, protozoans, and amebas, multicellular organisms (suchas plants or animals, including samples from a healthy or apparentlyhealthy human subject or a human patient affected by a condition ordisease to be diagnosed or investigated, such as cancer). In someembodiments, a biological sample is mountable on a microscope slide andincludes, without limitation, a section of tissue, an organ, a tumorsection, a smear, a frozen section, a cytology prep, or cell lines. Anincisional biopsy, a core biopsy, an excisional biopsy, a needleaspiration biopsy, a core needle biopsy, a stereotactic biopsy, an openbiopsy, or a surgical biopsy can be used to obtain the sample.

FIG. 10 shows a rack carrying a set of sealed containers 211 eachholding about 10 mL to about 30 mL of reagent. The sealed containers 211have caps 151 with seal elements in the form of septums 153 that canminimize, limit, or substantially prevent evaporation losses. Theseptums 153 can be broken (e.g., pierced, torn, etc.) to access thecontents of the containers 211. When the user installs the containers211, septums 153 can be broken to establish fluid communication with apump or pipette (e.g., the reagent pipette 204 of FIGS. 9A-9D), which inturn delivers the fluid to an appropriate specimen processing station.The containers 211 can include, without limitation, one or more humanreadable labels, machine readable labels (e.g., a barcode to be read bythe system 100), or other types of labels. The parking station 140, insome embodiments, provides fluids and solutions that are used in smallervolumes (e.g., dye solutions, such as hematoxylin and eosin solutions).

The slides disclosed herein can be a 1 inch×3 inch microscope slide, a25 mm×75 mm microscope slide, or another type of flat or substantiallyflat substrate. “Substantially flat substrate” refers, withoutlimitation, to any object having at least one substantially flatsurface, but more typically to any object having two substantially flatsurfaces on opposite sides of the object, and even more typically to anyobject having opposed substantially flat surfaces, which opposedsurfaces are generally equal in size but larger than any other surfaceson the object. In some embodiments, the substantially flat substrate cancomprise any suitable material, including plastics, rubber, ceramics,glass, silicon, semiconductor materials, metals, combinations thereof,or the like. Non-limiting examples of substantially flat substratesinclude flat covers, SELDI and MALDI chips, silicon wafers, or othergenerally planar objects with at least one substantially flat surface.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that specific embodiments ofthe invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration,but well-known structures and functions have not been shown or describedin detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of at leastsome embodiments of the invention. The systems described herein canperform a wide range of processes for preparing biological specimens foranalyzing. Where the context permits, singular or plural terms may alsoinclude the plural or singular term, respectively. Unless the word “or”is associated with an express clause indicating that the word should belimited to mean only a single item exclusive from the other items inreference to a list of two or more items, then the use of “or” in such alist shall be interpreted as including (a) any single item in the list,(b) all of the items in the list, or (c) any combination of the items inthe list. The singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include pluralreferents unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Thus, forexample, reference to “a specimen” refers to one or more specimens, suchas two or more specimens, three or more specimens, or four or morespecimens.

The various embodiments described above can be combined to providefurther embodiments. These and other changes can be made to theembodiments in light of the above-detailed description. In general, inthe following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limitthe claims to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specificationand the claims, but should be construed to include all possibleembodiments along with the full scope of equivalents to which suchclaims are entitled. Accordingly, the claims are not limited by thedisclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. An automated slide processing apparatus for dispensing liquids onto one or more microscope slides, comprising: a reagent pipette assembly including a reagent pipette movable between at least one loading position for obtaining reagent from a reagent container at a filling station and at least one dispense position, wherein the reagent container includes a cap having a dome-shaped access valve portion configured to be penetrated by a distal tip of the reagent pipette when in the loading position; and a retainer configured to releasably secure the reagent pipette, wherein the retainer includes a rotation inhibitor that engages an alignment feature of the reagent pipette.
 2. The automated slide processing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the reagent pipette is generally straight and includes a blunt distal tip.
 3. The automated slide processing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the reagent pipette includes a sharpened distal tip.
 4. The automated slide processing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the reagent pipette includes a beveled distal tip.
 5. The automated slide processing apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a locking mechanism for moving the retainer between an open configuration and a closed configuration for receiving and securing the reagent pipette within the retainer.
 6. The automated slide processing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the alignment feature is a non-circular portion of the pipette, and wherein the non-circular portion is configured to orient the pipette within the retainer.
 7. The automated slide processing apparatus of claim 6 wherein the non-circular portion includes a flat surface, and wherein the rotation inhibitor includes an orienting pin to align the pipette within the retainer by engaging the flat surface.
 8. The automated processing apparatus of claim 7 wherein a proximal end of the pipette is coupled to a fluid port for providing fluid flow to the pipette, wherein the fluid flow to the pipette includes a vacuum and/or pressurized air, and wherein the fluid flow is a wash flow for cleaning the pipette following dispensing reagent at the at least one dispense position.
 9. The automated processing apparatus of claim 5 wherein the locking mechanism includes a lever positioned clamp.
 10. The automated processing apparatus of claim 5 wherein the locking mechanism includes a sliding clamp.
 11. The automated processing apparatus of claim 5 wherein the locking mechanism includes a bayonet mount.
 12. The automated processing apparatus of claim 5 wherein the locking mechanism includes a first plate and a second plate configured to engage and lock with the first plate when the retainer is in the closed configuration.
 13. The automated processing apparatus of claim 5 wherein the locking mechanism includes a hollow threaded screw.
 14. The automated processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a controller communicatively coupled to the reagent pipette assembly and configured to command a drive mechanism such that the drive mechanism moves the reagent pipette assembly from the loading position to the dispense position.
 15. The automated slide processing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the access valve portion includes an opening and a protective seal over the opening prior to penetration.
 16. A method of replacing a pipette in an automated slide processing apparatus, the method comprising: releasing a locking mechanism on a carriage assembly of a reagent pipette assembly to release a first pipette from a pipette retainer; removing the first pipette from a shaft of the pipette retainer; sliding a second pipette into the shaft of the pipette retainer; and engaging the locking mechanism on the carriage assembly to retain the second pipette in the shaft of the pipette retainer.
 17. The method of claim 16 wherein releasing the locking mechanism includes lifting a central lever, and wherein engaging the locking mechanism includes lowering the central lever.
 18. The method of claim 16 wherein the second pipette has a flat surface and wherein sliding a second pipette into the shaft includes sliding the second pipette into the shaft to position the flat surface adjacent an orienting pin for aligning the second pipette within the shaft of the pipette retainer. 